Angel of The Night
by DarkAngel814
Summary: Born and raised in secrecy, a mysterious child reveals herself to Angel and his gang claiming to be the impossible. But a prophecy will reveal the truth. Takes place post AU S5. Will crossover to Btvs in later Chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Our Hope Is Lifted

**Authors Notes: Ok usually these will be at the end of the story but I have a lot I wanted to say lol. First I know I have been like majorly absent from FFnet but I've been mainly vidding and no writing inspiration. And I know i shouldnt be starting a new story with so many old ones unfinished but hey I'm inspired and hopefully If I get back into the flow of writing I can continue the rest of my stories. I'm going to try to work on "A Long Way Home" "Have A Little Faith" and maybe "Think Fast" but that ones been sorta dead in the water for a while now. But I've gotten a lot of people wanting me to finish.**

**Ok now about the story. This takes place 3 years Post AU S5 of Angel. I'm going to give you a few details that will be revealed later on but just keep everyone up to speed.**

**In Buffy s7, Sunnydale was never destroyed. They sealed off the first evil and set up a slayer academy in Sunnydale. Spike is alive and with Buffy. Anya wasn't killed, her and Xander are married.  
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**In Angel s5, Cordelia was revived in 5x12 and Angel never signed away the prophecy. Everything else remained the same. LA was still plunged into hell. And three years has gone by. That is where the story begins.**

**Upcoming Ships: Cangel, Spuffy, Weslah, Fangel, Faillow, Xanya**

**Main Character: Alexandra Hope (my own character) Its a complicated storyline but if you stick with it I think its really good so hopefully people will like it.**

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Chapter One: Our Hope is lifted

Vampires. Creatures of the night. They thrive on the darkness and prey on the weak. The barren wasteland of the once great city of L.A. was crawling with them and many more sinister beasts. They infested the city like vermin spreading faster and faster. The tall skyscrapers crumbled and decayed from the constant battles raging between the demons. Buildings lay in ruins at the hands of the hell beasts unleashed upon the helpless city. The darkness blanketed the chaos, the flicker of flames in the distance the only light revealing the evil beneath the shadows.

Sunset Boulevard: a sign lay on the concrete at the feet of a small child. She bent down to look at it and ran her fingers across its cold surface. She stood up and made her way down the deserted street. Her long curly brown hair blew across her face.

The child couldn't have been more than seven years old, yet she looked like a warrior. Her torn and tattered clothes were covered in blood and dirt. Her eyes told secrets no one should know, let alone a child. She had a small green backpack on over her sweater and was dragging a sword behind her, the end stained with dark, inhuman blood. Her name was Alexandra Hope.

A wind blew softly down the street; Alex stopped and lifted her sword. She looked around and narrowed her eyes. She let her lids slide closed as though she were concentrating hard. A creature jumped down from atop the building and landed in front of her. The large reptilian looking monster swung its large claw up to attack. Alex jumped in the air and sliced off its arm with the sword. The creature howled as its limb fell limply to the ground.

Alex landed on her feet crouched down. She looked up at the creature as it continued to shriek. A gust of wind picked up as three more demons landed around her.

"Four against one, doesn't seem quite fair," she smirked. "For you guys"

She felt a large hand grab her and lift her off the ground. She swung and her sword sliced its head off. She kicked off the body and spun through the air. She landed on the back of another and plunged her sword through its shoulders. The creature bucked and sent her flying. She flew into the building and fell to the ground clutching her side. She looked up as two of them came at her.

"Ah come on, I'm just getting started" she grunted. She smiled at them through the pain and pulled herself to her feet and swung. The beast shrieked and struck her across the face. Blood filled her mouth as she fell to the floor. She grabbed her face to stop the bleeding. She got back on her feet and jumped up to the window above her. One of them grabbed her foot and pulled her back just as a flash of light surged down the street. The creatures shrieked, raising their hands over their ears.

Alex looked up at them and then at the light as it came barreling towards them with a steadying whizzing sound building. "Whoa…" She closed her eyes and covered her face as the light spread over her. She could see the light through her eyelids and squeezed tighter. The whizzing got louder and louder and then disappeared. The dead silence ached in her ears.

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around in shock. She was lying in the middle of the same street only the ruined building was now in perfect condition. The sun shone over the city and the demons were gone. Somehow LA had been restored. She saw people emerge from the buildings with a similar look of shock on their faces. Alex placed her hand to her face; the gash was gone, the pain in her side too. She scrambled to her feet and over to a manhole. More people emerged and the chatter of the city began to build. She lifted the cover and looked once more at the building, her eyes sad, before disappearing into the sewer.

Men and women in suits exited the building, their eyes darting around the street in confusion and suspicion. They looked back at the building fearfully. Over the entrance was a sign that read:

Wolfram and Hart.

~*~

Muddy water splashed the walls of the tunnels as she barrelled through them as fast as her little feet would go, which was pretty fast. She raced down the tunnels until she felt she was far enough away from that place. She collapsed into a corner and wiped the sweat from her face.

"Ok, what the hell just happened?" she whispered to herself, finally able to speak. LA had been in Hell the past three years or so, she didn't know exactly how long. But she'd kept track in her book. She pulled off her backpack and took out a small overstuffed book. Laying the bag down flat, she put the book on top of it. She flipped through the pages to the back where she kept her calendar. It was March 10th 2007. Nearly three years had gone by.

Alex wrote everything she knew down in this book, everything she could remember about her life, everything she'd found out and everything that happened. Being only seven she knew her memory of the past seven years would fade fast and she wouldn't let it be lost. She couldn't remember the first two years but she had information tucked into the pages to tell her. She looked through the book getting lost into the stories of her own life for hours. The light slipping in from the street above faded away.

She sighed and looked around, trying to think what to do now. She looked back down at her book and turned to a new page. A face stared back at her, his dark eyes looked straight through her.

"I guess it's time to find you then." She ran her fingers across an address she'd written below the photograph. Shoving the book back into her bag she got back to her feet. She ran down the tunnel and disappeared down a hole.

Alex stopped as she heard voices echoing her way. She pulled her sword out and waited in the shadows. "Vampires," she whispered; able to tell by their smell. The voices grew louder as they came her way.

"…Yeah, leave it to them to do it," one of the voices said. "I mean it's like time reset or something. Dragged LA right out of hell." Alex listened harder as she crouched motionless so they wouldn't see her.

"What was it? Some sort of spell?" the other voice asked.

"I don't know but I know a lot of demons that are not happy about this. A war is definitely on its way…" The two demons passed her. She held her breath until they had disappeared down another tunnel. Alex sighed once they were gone and pulled out her journal, scribbling everything she had heard down on a fresh page before heading down the other direction.

Alex emerged from the tunnels into the subway. She found a map and looked up where she was and located her destination. It wasn't too far. Alex made her way to the street and started walking. The street was empty but the buildings were bright with spent three years in Hell, it had been a long time since she'd seen the city look earthly and she marvelled at its beauty now. She reached the building she was looking for and gazed up at it. She ran her fingers along the large metal gate. As she entered she gazed at the ornate stone fountain in the middle of the courtyard; she hadn't seen anything so beautiful in her life.

A vampire fell out of the sky and landed in the fountain, spraying water everywhere. Alex stumbled backward in surprise. She looked up and saw two more vampires leap over the gate.

"Little girl didn't your mommy ever teach you not to go out alone?" the vampire growled menacingly at her.

"No but I'm sure she would have taught me how to kick your ass." Alex reached over her shoulders and pulled out two stakes. She lunged at the demon kicking it square in the chest. The other two jumped into the fight. She spun around and tripped one of them, then plunged the stake into its chest and it exploded into dust. The third one grabbed her from behind and threw her into a pillar. She scrambled to her feet and ran at him. She tried to stake him but he grabbed her arm and twisted. She punched the other vampire in the face as it came over, and flipped the one holding her onto the ground. She swung around and kicked the vampire behind her in the face. She sent a fury of blows his way.

"What are you?" the vampire gasped as she raised her hand to stake him. Before she could answer him she was flung backward into the fountain where she crashed through the stone and it crumbled on top of her. She tried to get up but couldn't move. The vampire leaned in over her.

"You're dinner!" he laughed. Alex screamed and tried to escape. The vampire exploded into dust. Alex opened her eyes and saw a tall handsome man in a long black coat standing over her.

"Angel!" she whispered before passing out. Angel looked down at the girl puzzled.

"Let's get her inside," Gunn said bending down to pick the girl up. Angel snapped out of it and took the girl from Gunn. They made their way inside the Hyperion Hotel and laid her down on the couch in the center of the lobby. Wesley came out from his office and hurried over.

"What happened? Who is this?" He looked from Angel to the girl.

"She was being attacked by a group of vampires outside the hotel. But I think she was looking for us. She said my name before passing out," Angel said softly, still deep in thought. Wesley looked down at the child as though studying her.

"What's going on? We don't even get one day of rest? I mean we just saved LA—" Cordelia stopped complaining as she caught sight of the girl. "Oh. What happened?" She asked, rushing over to the child.

"Vamp attack," Gunn said. "She staked one of 'em and was holding her own for a bit before we got there." Cordelia looked at him. "Saw her through the window."

Alex opened her eyes and gasped. She didn't expect to be surrounded by so many people. She pushed herself up into a sitting position but stopped as the pain in her side reminded her what had happened.

"Hello," Cordelia said. "Are you alright?"

Alex nodded as she tried to pull herself together. "I'll be fine. Thanks for saving me," she said looking over at Angel. Her eyes locked with him for a moment.

"What were you doing out alone at night?" Angel asked still studying her face.

"Looking for you. I've been looking for you for a very long time," she said. Before she could continue a young man came through the front door. She looked over to him and narrowed her eyes. He glared at her and attacked.

"Connor, no!" Cordelia yelled. Connor pinned Alexandra to the ground.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed. She kicked him in the stomach, which allowed her to get her hands free and punch him in the face.

"Connor get off her!" Angel grabbed the boy and forced him to sit down.

"She isn't human!" Connor growled trying to get out of Angel's grip. "I've come across her before. She's from Wolfram and Hart. She's a demon!"

"I am not you idiot!" Alex snapped at him. "I'm not a demon," she said looking at Angel.

"You're not human. I can smell it!" Connor raged.

"Didn't you learn your lesson last time we fought?" Alex growled. "I don't have to be your enemy—"

"If you're associated with Wolfram and Hart you are!" Connor spat.

"Enough!" Angel bellowed. "Sit Connor. Sit." He glared at Connor until the boy relented and sat. "Connor she is human—"

"Told you!" Alex scoffed. Angel hesitated and looked at her.

"But its tainted." Angel turned to her and narrowed his eyes. "What are you? What's your connection with Wolfram and Hart?"

"I'm not connected with them. I lived there because it was the safest place," Alex said. It was the truth, just not the whole truth.

"Who are you then?" Connor growled. Everyone turned to look at her waiting for her response. This hadn't exactly been how she wanted to tell him. She wasn't even sure he'd believe her. Alex sighed and looked at Angel.

"My name is Alexandra Hope. And I'm your daughter."


	2. Chapter 2: Tired Minds

Chapter Two: Tired Minds

Angel stared at the girl standing before him, looking for reasons to deny what she said other than the obvious. "I'm a vampire."

The girl rolled her eyes and sighed. "Angel. You're special," Alex said.

The lobby was silent as everyone tried to grasp the situation. Alex looked into Angel's eyes. For so long she'd wanted to be near him, to have him hold her and protect her. For once to be protected. She was tired of fighting, tired of being grown years before her time.

"Dang man, you've got some lively sperm for a dead guy," Gunn said finally breaking the silence. Everyone looked at Gunn who shrugged. "Like all you weren't thinking that."

"Well if Angel's your father who's your mother?" Cordelia asked changing the subject. She was getting annoyed with everyone but her getting to have kids with Angel, when all she got was a possession and an evil baby with Connor, let's not forget the mystical coma.

Alex looked at Cordelia and frowned. "I don't know…" she lied. She knew who her mother was, but wanted to find her on her own. Sure Angel could probably help her, but Alex had been doing everything on her own for a long time now. Why should she trust Angel? He may be her father but he knew nothing about her. He hadn't even known she existed. He didn't even want to believe she was his daughter.

"What makes you think I'm your father?" Angel looked at her as though she were the only person in the room. Nobody else registered to him, not even Cordelia who stood beside him now with one hand on his chest in comfort.

"Because you are!" Alex said, annoyed. She sighed, she was so tired all she wanted to do was rest not explain herself. Stupid Connor, she thought. It was his fault she had to explain herself now. She looked over at Connor and glared. Connor narrowed his eyes at her.

"You're not my sister," he said snidely. Alex growled at him.

"I have proof." She took off her backpack and reached into it. She pulled out her notebook and flipped through it- she didn't want to show them everything, just something that would prove she was Angel's daughter. She pulled aside a folded up bunch of papers and shoved the book back into her bag. "I got them from inside Wolfram and Hart. They're entries on me and you and lab tests…"

"Lab tests?" Wesley looked at her and walked over and took them. He went into his office and unfolded the papers and spread them out on the desk. Everyone followed Wesley into his office. "You said you got these from Wolfram and Hart?"

"Yes. I lived there…" Alex trailed off. She looked up at Angel who was standing beside her, towering over walked around and stood over Wesley's shoulder. She looked back at Angel sadly. His brood lessened at the sadness in her eyes. He realized how harsh he must look to her.

"How did you know where to look? Wolfram and Hart is a large place. We worked there for nearly a year and there was a lot of information I never found. And why do they have lab tests on you anyway?" Wesley said reading over the papers.

"Well I lived there for a long time…" Alex said. Wesley looked at her, she wasn't telling them everything he knew that. Alex could feel Wesley trying to read her. Figure her out. She knew he wouldn't, nobody could figure her out. Not even her.

"How long exactly is a long time?"

Alex grew quiet and shrugged. Wesley looked back at the papers and noticed a signature down on the bottom.

"What is it?" Angel looked at Wesley who had suddenly grown stiff.

"Lilah…" Wesley whispered, he looked sadly at the name and his hands ran over it slowly. He tried to push the thoughts out of his minds and focus on the issue at hand. He looked up at Alex who looked confused. "You knew Lilah." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He could tell by her reaction that she did. But it was impossible. Lilah died over four years ago. Alex would have been just a baby.

"You knew Lilah?" Alex replied. Wesley started to say something but stopped. He looked back down at the name. They were going around in circles. Alex wasn't going to give anything up, not right now anyway. But it was right in front of him, proof she was Angel's daughter.

"From what this says, she is your daughter Angel. I don't know how but she is. The tests, they're blood tests comparing your blood and hers. They even have Connor's." Wesley put the papers down and sighed. He looked up at Angel. "Wolfram and Hart, they're thorough."

"Do you believe me now?" Alex sighed. "I really just want to sleep."

Angel looked at the tired little girl and nodded. He didn't know how or why, but he believed her. Like when he saw Connor come out of that portal, he knew who he was. He could feel it in his soul that she was a part of him. "You should rest we can talk more in the morning. Come on let's find you a room." Angel stood aside as if to beckon her to follow him. She looked down and walked over to him. Standing so close to him, she just wanted to hug him but didn't dare.

They left Wesley's office and climbed the ornate stairs up to the second floor. Alex marvelled at the beautiful hotel. She ran her fingers along the wallpaper as they walked down the hallway.

Angel glanced back at her. She was beautiful. He tried to see if he could see himself in her. Everyone always said Connor got his sneer from him. Luckily she didn't seem to sneer like Connor. Her eyes. Maybe. They looked more soulful than his but the shape was similar. She was so small, but she looked so fierce. As if she could take on the world. He'd seen that look before—

"How did you do it?" Alex asked, breaking Angel out of his thoughts. He stopped and looked down at her confused.

"Do what?"

"Bring LA back. We were in hell so long; I thought we were never going to see the sun again," she said looking off into the distance as though she were looking at something. Angel looked but all he saw was a long empty hall.

"It was a spell. Wesley performed it. It took us a while to find it…"Angel trailed off and just stared at her. "How did you do it?"

Alex looked up at him confused. "Do what?"

"Survive." Angel couldn't believe this small child had survived alone in hell for three years. The things she must have done and seen, it was no wonder she was years beyond her age.

"I did what I had to. I'm stronger than I look. I guess I get that from you…" She gave him a small smile. She paused then wrapped her arms around his waist. Angel froze, and looked down at the child wrapped around him. He placed a hand on her head and ran it across her hair. She let go of him and looked up at him with tears shining in her eyes. Quickly she brushed them away, as though they had never been there. "I'm sorry. I just have wanted to do that all my life."

A small smile crept across Angel's face, and he nodded in understanding. He wasn't quite sure what to say to her. They continued walking until he found a good room for her. It wasn't too far from his and it wasn't a wreck like a lot of them.

"You can sleep here. If you need anything just come get me. There is a bathroom two doors down…" He looked around unsure what to do next. They stood in silence staring at each other. "Well, goodnight." Angel left, closing the door behind him and went back downstairs to join the rest of the gang. Alex sat down on the bed and ran her fingers across the comforter. She took off her backpack and jacket. She pulled out some fresh clothes from her bag and changed. She sat down on the bed, it was quite comfortable. She pulled out her book and began flipping through it.

Every night she would read it, keep the memories fresh. It was her worst fear to forget all that she had known. Everything her life had been so far could be erased. And she would never know who she was or why she existed.

She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. Hoping sleep would come peacefully.

~*~

"A daughter," Angel said aloud as he sat on his bed with Cordelia beside him. "I have a daughter…" He smiled at Cordelia. She smiled back and ran her hand across his face and cupped his cheek in her palm.

"She's beautiful," Cordelia whispered softly. She sighed and let her hand drop to his. "Do you know who her mother is?" Cordelia was happy for Angel that he'd have the chance to see Alexandra grow up, unlike Connor. But she couldn't ignore that pang in her heart.

Angel looked at her and shook his head. He could tell she was upset, and thought it would be best to keep his speculations to himself. "You're upset," he said turning and taking hold of her hand. It was so nice to finally be with her. To tell her he loved her whenever he wanted, to hold her, to kiss her. They'd spent the past three years at each other's side fighting in hell but he'd never been happier. "You've been through so much, and were finally together and we thought we were done with it for a while and then—"

Cordelia kissed him, it was a sure-fire way to make him stop talking. She held his face in her hands as she pulled away to look into his eyes. "She has your eyes," she smiled.

Angel grinned, "That's what I thought."

"I'm happy for you Angel. I love you, and I love Connor. And I will love Alex." She kissed him again as they lay back on the bed in each other's arms. She rested her head on his chest.

~*~

Wesley sat at his desk staring at her name; it had been so long since he'd thought about her. It was too painful. He had loved her but never allowed himself to admit it. He had wanted to save her. He saw something in her that no one else did. A soul perhaps that even she didn't know was still there.

She was the only one who had been there for him in his darkest times, and while to others it may have seemed that she made him darker she actually brought him back. It scared him how much he loved her, so he pushed her away. But, after Fred's death, he realized she wasn't who he really loved. He thought he'd loved Fred. And at one point maybe he had. But they were different people and with her gone he was able to see that he'd only been truly happy with Lilah.

Lilah. Just thinking her name made his heart ache.

How did she know Lilah? How did Lilah know her? Did Lilah know about her while he was with her? Was she one of the many secrets Lilah had kept from him? She would have done anything to bring Angel down, but would never have told him of her plans. Possibly she couldn't. A contract with Wolfram and Hart that prevented her. Contracts similar to the one that kept her chained to them even in death. That had been the last time he'd been with her. His last attempt save her. He could still hear her voice.

~*~

"What are you doing, love?" Lilah made her way across the room, her heels clacking against the linoleum. She looked down; an evil grin crept across her face. The small child looked up at her from behind her curly locks.

"He hit me," She said. Her little rosy cheeks dimpled as her own evil smile spread. Lilah picked her up and pulled her off the semi-unconscious guard. She walked over to the telecom and pushed the talk button. "Can someone come retrieve Garrett; he'll probably need medical attention."

Lilah put Alexandra back in her crib. "What did I tell you about this? If you keep hurting them we have to keep replacing them."

Alexandra batted her eyes up at Lilah and giggled. "But it's funny"

Lilah sighed. "Yes, but it's expensive." Lilah stopped and took the Childs arm. There was a bruise running from her shoulder down to her elbow. "He'll be replaced." She said quietly. The baby lay back in her crib and smiled up. Lilah looked down at her awkwardly before turning and leaving.

Alexandra sat up in bed, sweat covered her face. She waited as her eyes adjusted to the light. "Just a dream," she mumbled to herself. She wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved. Part of her took comfort in those memories, but some of them were painful. Others were distorted by her childlike view of the situations. Others she tried hard to forget.

She rubbed her eyes as an attempt to shove the thoughts to the back of her mind. She got out of bed and walked over to the window and sat down. She looked out at LA, the city had already returned to normal. She could see the headlights of lines of traffic up and down the streets off in the distance. People wanted to pretend nothing had happened. Forget all they had seen, all that had happened. Those people could. She couldn't. Tears rolled down her face, as her sobs built up. Tears she'd been holding in for so long. Waiting for when she could feel safe enough to let them out.

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**Authors Note: Yay!! I'm on a roll. Two chapters in one day whoo hoo. I'm gonna keep working on it as much as I can while I have the inspiration. I'm really liking it so far. Hope everyone else who reads it does too. Short authors note this time lol not much to say.**

**Enjoy  
Katie**


	3. Chapter 3: Inbetween Worlds

Chapter Three: In-between Worlds

A sharp howl pierced the silence of the night. Dirt crunched beneath her feet as she raced through the ruins of the old abandoned building. Lights flickered above her raining sparks over her head. Another howl echoed behind her, it was getting closer now. Alex jumped over a crater in the floor and kept running. It had followed her in; she had to throw it off her trail before heading back home otherwise she would never be able to go back.

Jumping down through a crater in the floor she raced for the door and crashed through it out into the street. She kept running, glancing over her shoulder. The demon crashed through the front of the building and barrelled towards her. She ducked as it flew over her head. The doglike creature was at least five times her size. It landed and turned around: its black eyes locked on her. It flashed its gigantic teeth as it growled at her.

Before she could pull out her sword, the demon howled in pain and was sent flying into the air. A line of electricity struck it and it exploded in the air. Alexandra pulled out her sword and looked around waiting for her new opponent to show themselves.

A boy dropped down off a building and landed in front of her. She stepped back and drew her sword ready to fight. The boy was holding an axe. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Alex said glaring at him. A woman dropped down beside the boy.

"Connor, she's just a kid. She's not a threat," the woman said to him. Connor ignored her and narrowed his eyes.

"What are you?" He hissed. Alex rolled her eyes.

"A kid, duh! What are you blind?" she scoffed.

"You work for Wolfram and Hart," he said. Alex looked over her shoulder at the ruined building.

"Does it look like anyone works there to you? Dude I'm seven years old. I didn't know I looked like a lawyer." Alex wasn't liking this snide boy. He looked at her as though she were a demon, like she was filthy and evil. She looked at the woman beside him. She was pretty; she had long curly brown hair with a red streak through it. "I'm not a threat to you. And I'll be on my way now," Alex said to the woman. She didn't see any reason in speaking to the snarky boy.

Connor swung his axe at her but Alex lifted her sword in time. The metal clashed together. Connor glared down at the girl. "You're not going anywhere," he hissed. Alex grabbed his axe and kicked him in the chest. Connor Flew backward. Alex threw his axe at him and it stuck in the ground just beside his head.

"You don't want to fight me." Alex disappeared into the night. She'd have to steer clear of the building for a bit until he was off her back. There was something about that boy, a smell that she couldn't quite place. He was different. He was good, which is why she didn't want to fight him, but there was more to his story.

~*~

Alex looked up as Connor entered the hotel. That woman was at his side again. She'd learned her name was Gwen. Connor walked over and dropped his weapons on the floor. He looked over at Alex.

"What?" she snapped. Connor looked away and began putting the weapons back in the weapons closet.

"I'm going to go find Angel," Gwen said. She could feel the tension between these two and didn't want to be around for the boiling point.

"Yeah ok," Connor grunted. He closed the cabinet and looked back at Alex. They hadn't spoken really since she'd arrived. Wesley had been holed up in his office doing research, trying to figure out who Alex really was, and why she existed, but information on her was scarce. Everyone else seemed to just sort of accept her and let her wander around the hotel as though she belonged, but Connor couldn't do that.

"Why are you staring at me?" Alex glared at him in annoyance.

"Why do you care?" He walked towards her as though he were studying her. Alex looked at him uncomfortablly. She'd been avoiding him. He was the only one that didn't seem to trust her.

"How come you don't trust me? I'm not evil, I'm not a demon. And yet you treat me like one." She looked at him waiting for a response.

"Why should I trust you? You haven't given me a reason to. You come out of nowhere and claim to be…" He stopped and just looked at her.

"Your sister?" she finished. "Well I am. It's not like I'm thrilled about it." Connor narrowed his eyes at her but before he could continue Angel appeared with Gwen and Cordelia.

"Connor." Angel looked at him and then at Alex. The anger disappeared from her face and a softer look replaced it.

"Yeah, whatever!" Connor mumbled. He headed upstairs. Angel watched him leave before turning to Alex.

"He's been through a lot. Isn't very welcoming to new people," Angel explained to her. Alex nodded.

"Uh huh, never would have guessed." She rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder at Wesley's office. "He's still in there. Is he ever coming out?"

Cordelia chuckled, "When Wes is researching he's in there for days. Weeks sometimes."

Alex didn't respond. She was worried. What if Wesley found out who her mother was before she could find her? What if he found out about the Prophecy? If only she had more time.

"What's he trying to find out?" she sighed, looking up at Cordelia. Cordy sat down beside her and put her arm on Alex's shoulder.

"He's just trying to find out more information about you. He did the same thing when Connor was born," Cordelia explained. Alex nodded, not really feeling any better. "Hey, are you hungry? You must be, right?" Cordelia stood up and looked at Angel.

"Right. Food. I could make you something."

Cordelia looked at him like he was nuts."You don't cook."

Angel ignored her."We could go out to eat then."

"It's the middle of the day. Unless she wants a pile of dust for lunch…"Angel turned around and glared at her. Cordelia stopped talking. "Just saying."

Alex smiled as she watched the two of them bicker. They were adorable.

"Fine. Cordelia why don't you take her out to eat then."

Cordelia smiled."Great idea!" She kissed Angel on the cheek and laughed. Angel sighed and couldn't help but smile. Alex giggled and took Cordy's outstretched hand.

~*~

"I've never eaten at a restaurant before," Alex said, kicking her feet under the table; she was too small to reach the floor.

Cordelia laughed. "I wouldn't exactly call McDonalds a restaurant."

Alex smiled up at her and shrugged. It was to her. She took another handful of fries and gobbled them up. She felt so normal sitting in the booth with Cordelia. There were other kids running around laughing, groups of teenagers eating and chatting. It was as if for once she actually belonged in this world.

"Where did you live before Wolfram and Hart sent L.A. to hell? Do you remember?" Cordelia asked.

Alex looked at Cordelia and shrugged. "I always lived at Wolfram and Hart," she said honestly.

Cordelia frowned."I guess you were too little to remember."

Alex looked down at her food. She arranged the fries into a smiley face and giggled. Cordelia laughed and continued eating. They finished up and Cordelia bought them both ice cream on the way back.

The two walked down the street quietly. Everything looked so normal during the day. Alex had rarely gone out in the day. Not much point. People tended to ask a lot of questions about a child wandering the streets alone.

"An orphanage,." Alex said out of nowhere as they reached the hotel.

Cordelia looked down at her confused. "I'm sorry?" she stopped and looked at her trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"I lived in an orphanage," Alex said simply. "Before what happened. I don't remember the name. Mott…something or umm…some kind of flower."

Cordelia nodded and lead Alex back into the hotel. "I'm going to go talk to Wesley. Why don't you go find Angel?"

Alex nodded and watched Cordelia go into Wesley's office.

"Wes," Cordy looked at Wesley who was staring at a book so intensely she thought it was going to explode. "Wes!" she yelled.

Wesley shook out of his trance and looked up at her."Oh, Cordelia." He cleared his throat and looked around. "What do you need?"

"Alex told me some information that might help you." Cordelia looked at him worried. "Wes, you don't have to spend every minute in here. We all want to find out Alex's story, but you don't have to do it all alone."

"Yes, I know." Wesley smiled at Cordelia to give her some comfort.

"It's about Lilah isn't it? That's why you can't let it go," Cordelia said, sitting down opposite him. "I know you loved her…" Cordelia trailed off. She still felt guilty seeing as it was she who had killed Lilah. Even though it wasn't really her and she had been possessed. All the same Lilah was dead and Wesley was alone. She couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.

"Cordelia." Wesley looked at her. He knew what she was thinking and she was wrong. It was not her fault. But she knew him so well, better than almost anyone. Cordelia had a knack for knowing people.

"I'm just worried about you. You're coming out of this office and I will tell you the information tomorrow. But for now—"

"Cordelia!" Wesley snapped.

"Wesley!" she snapped back. The two looked at each other, waiting for one of them to break.

Cordelia sighed. "Fine, but then you're coming out of this office." She got up and walked over to the bookcase. She pulled the phonebook off the top shelf and dropped it in front of him. "She said she lived in an orphanage before the fall."

"Orphanage. Then they would have a record of her and could maybe help us at least track down where she came from. Maybe…" He trailed off mumbling to himself.

"She couldn't remember the name of it. All she could remember was it was named after some kind of flower."

Wesley flipped through the phonebook looking through the list of Orphanages and children's homes in L.A."I've counted four with some sort of flower in the name." Wesley sighed.

Cordelia scooted closer and looked."Wait this one. That must be it." She pointed to Lily's Home for Children.

"How do you know?" Wesley looked at her.

"It's on Mott Street. Alex said she remember something about Mott. That must be it." Cordelia smiled, and Wesley smiled back at her.

"I'll give them a call."

~*~

"What are you doing?" Alex asked, standing at the top of the stairs. Angel was in the basement and looked like he was dancing in slow motion.

Angel stopped and looked up at Alex. "It's called Tai Chi. It's to center yourself."

Alex came down the stairs and stopped at the bottom."It looks like your dancing." Alex said. Angel frowned. "Cordelia said you're a bad dancer"

"What? I am not. I'm not dancing."

Alex smiled. "Is it like training?" She jumped off the last step and walked over to him so that she was standing in front of him. "I bet I could take you," she grinned.

Angel looked at her in shock. "You want me to fight you?"

"No of course not," she scoffed. "Not for real anyway." She dropped down and spun her leg out knocking Angel off his feet. Angel fell backward caught off guard. Alex laughed. "Come on dad."

Angel looked up at her and smiled. He liked hearing her say dad. He rose to his feet and put his fists out. "I'm not going to hit you, but show me what you got."

Alex grinned. "You got it." She gave Angel all she'd got.

He was surprised at how powerful she was. She was stronger than he was and just as fast. He had to move at full speed just to keep up with her. His only advantage over her was his experience. As strong as she was she was sloppy, due only to lack of training. He pointed out her mistakes. Spots she left open. She giggled the entire time correcting her mistakes as he pointed them out.

Angel ducked as Alex flew at him. "Angel!" Cordelia called. Alex landed on her feet and turned to face him.

"Need a break?" she teased.

"We can do more later," Angel said placing a hand on her shoulder. Alex nodded and followed him upstairs. Cordelia was standing outside Wesley's office waving Angel over. "Why don't you go upstairs and change?" Angel suggested. Alex got the hint and headed upstairs. She waited until Angel closed the door before doubling back, then crouched outside the door listening.

"Wesley found the orphanage," Cordelia said, "that Alex was in."

"I called them and faxed over the drawing you did of Alex. They had her records and they faxed them over to us." Wesley handed Angel a bunch of papers neatly stapled together.

Angel looked over them confused. "Wait, she was only there a couple of months. So where was she before?"

"They don't know. There's no record of her in the system. They don't even have a last name on record for her. She was found on the street a little over a year before the fall and placed in their care. But she disappeared six months later." Wesley paused. Angel looked at him waiting for him to continue.

"Is there more?" Angel finally asked, when Wes seemed hesitant to continue.

"The lady said a few days before Alex disappeared two men in suits were asking questions about her." Wesley said. "They were lawyers from Wolfram and Hart."

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm so happy with how this story is going. And I'm writing the chapters pretty fast, hoping to keep up a steady pace with it. I need to plan out how the next few chapters are going to go. This one was mainly just setting up the relationships and characters a bit more. We also learn a little more about Alex. I have a very complicated storyline all plotted out in my head about her. The only thing I'm trying to figure out is how to reveal them bit by bit.**

**So I really hope people are enjoying the story. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions/comments/questions etc lol.**

**Katie**


	4. Chapter 4: Disappearing Act

Chapter Four: Disappearing Act

Bright orbs blinded Alex as she opened her eyes. She squinted as they adjusted to the bright fluorescent lights. She tried to move but her arms and legs were bolted down to the table she lay on. A tear rolled down the four year old's cheek; she was scared.

"Help!" she screamed, knowing it was useless. She knew where she was and there was no one who would help her. Frantically she looked around the white lab room; shadows standing behind the window watched her. There was a buzzing sound and the metal latches across her arms and legs released. She scrambled off the table and backed up against the wall.

Alex ran her hands across her body looking for anything different. She was still wearing those hideous white scrubs, but the cuts and wounds from before were gone.

A sword dropped from a chute above her head and landed at her feet. She looked at it and ignored it. She ran over to the window and glared at the men behind it. "Let me out!" she screamed. "I want to go home!" Tears filled her eyes and her lip quivered.

She heard laughter and mumbling behind the glass. She lifted her head and glared. "You don't have a home." One of the men sneered at her.

She slammed her little fist against the glass and screeched. She hit it over and over again."Let me out!"

A door in the wall opened and she spun around. She ran towards it but stopped when she saw something move in the shadows. She stumbled back in fear as a large creature stepped out. A monster. The monster looked at her and charged. Alex screamed and ran as fast as she could. But the door slid closed before she could reach it.

"Help!" She screamed. Her scream was cut short by a blow to her abdomen. She flew through the air and into the wall. She felt claws rip through her skin and she cried out for help but nobody came. She tried to push the monster away but she was afraid. Sharp teeth sunk in to her and she cried out once more.

She looked to her left and saw the sword. Instinctively she grabbed for it with her tiny hands. She just managed to reach it. She kicked and succeeded in getting the monster off her long enough to pull the sword towards her.

The monster launched at her again but was skewered with the sword. It slumped down over her; dead. Frantically Alex pulled herself out from underneath. There was blood everywhere as she crawled away in tears. The pain was unbearable and she cried out. "Mommy"

She heard the door open. Men in lab coats walked in and took the demon away. She looked up at the only one in a suit. "Crying out for your mommy like a child," He sneered. "Your _mommy_ isn't coming!"

Alex felt a pinch in her arm as a man in a white coat stuck a needle in her arm. The room and the chaos faded into black.

~*~

"Wolfram and Hart!" Angel growled. He threw the papers across the room.

"Angel," Cordy said calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"All this time. And they had her." Angel was shaking with anger. He wanted to hurt something, he wanted vengeance. He remembered when Connor was born. They had tried to get him. To experiment on him. Everyone wanted Connor. And all this time they'd had Alex. Known who she was. Just thinking about what they had done to her made his blood boil.

"She was telling the truth," Cordelia sighed. As Angel looked at her the anger in his eyes lessened at the pain in hers. Cordelia looked up at Angel, "She told me she had always lived at Wolfram and Hart. I thought she meant she couldn't remember before the fall. But I think she meant she had always lived there."

"She appeared at the children's home shortly after The Beast destroyed Wolfram and Hart," Wesley said, his mind trying to sort out a timeline. He bent down and picked up the papers Angel had thrown. He laid them out on the desk. "According to this they came looking for her right before you took over," Wesley said, looking up at Angel.

"They went looking for her!" Angel growled. He felt as though he had failed her again. It was bad enough that he hadn't known she existed, but she had been here in LA the whole time. "Well now I'm going looking for them." Angel headed for the door but Cordelia grabbed his arm.

"Angel, it's daylight. And you can't just walk back into Wolfram and Hart after everything that's happened. What if the Senior Partners have escaped from wherever the spell sent them? We can't afford to piss them off again. We just brought everything back." Angel looked at her, and knew she was right.

"They're going to come looking for her," Angel said looking into her eyes. Cordy squeezed his hand.

"And we'll protect her. But storming into Wolfram and Hart isn't going to get you what you want. Things have changed; it's not the same as it was four or five years ago."

"Cordelia's right. If we go back in to Wolfram and Hart we're asking for a war," Wesley added.

"Then we'll give them a war!" Angel snapped.

"Do you really want to do that?" Wesley shot back.

"She was there Wesley. She was somewhere in that building with us, and…" Angel stopped and looked down. "I didn't save her."

"Nobody knew she was there. You can't start a war for her," Wesley said trying to reason with Angel.

"I'll do anything for her." Angel glared at Wesley who sighed. "They're going to pay for whatever they did to her." Angel said before storming out of the office.

Alex scrambled away from the door and hid as Angel came crashing out of Wesley's office and headed for the tunnels. Cordelia chased after him. "I'll stay with him, try and get Gunn and Gwen back here," Cordelia called back to Wesley.

Alex waited until the coast was clear and then headed upstairs. Angel was going to Wolfram and Hart, Alex knew this wouldn't be good. She was terrified they might send LA back to hell. What if Angel did get in and find out everything about her? What if Angel didn't want her anymore once he did? Alex pushed that thought out of her mind. Angel had just said it; he would do anything for her.

Alex stopped in front of Angel's room. Usually she would have just kept walking but knowing everyone was out, except Wesley who wouldn't be leaving his office anytime soon, this was the perfect chance. Her curiosity got the better of her.

She walked in cautiously as if something might jump out at her or someone might walk in on her. Angel's room looked just like the other rooms she'd seen only cleaner, Cordelia had said he was compulsive. She walked around the room and spotted a box sitting on a chair by the bookcase. There were pictures and papers in it. She pulled out the pictures and smiled. They were photographs of Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn and Angel from what looked like a while ago. They looked happy. There were more pictures of a girl with mousy brown hair and glasses that she didn't know, and a baby who she assumed was Connor. Her favorite was one of Cordelia and Angel holding Baby Connor, but part of her was jealous.

She put the pictures back and looked through the bookcase. The top shelf was full of journals. She pulled one out and scanned through it. Grabbing a few of the journals she laid them out on the floor and sat down.

She wasn't sure how much time had gone by, but she was just about to put everything away when an entry caught her eye. It was about her mother. And it was about where she was.

"Sunnydale." Alex walked over to the bookcase and looked for a map. She found one and pulled it out. A bunch of drawings fell off the shelf. Alex sat down by the bookcase and spread out the map. She found Sunnydale. It wasn't too far from LA. Alex tore the map out and started putting all the books back. She stepped on some of the drawings and bent down to pick them up.

~*~

"He did what?" Connor growled at Wesley. "Has he completely lost it? He's going to get everyone killed!"

"Cordelia most likely talked him out of it but she wanted everyone here when she got him back. So could you please get Gunn and Gwen back here?" Wesley looked at Connor who was pacing back and forth just like Angel. "Connor…"

"Yeah, fine. I will," Connor grumbled. He had something else he was planning on doing first. He headed upstairs to find Alex and stopped at Angel's room. He watched her quietly she was looking at Angel's silly drawings. "What are you doing in here?"

Startled, Alex looked up, shoving the papers into her pocket. "What?" Connor narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why are you in here?" Connor repeated, crossing his arms

"I was just looking…I don't have to explain myself to you." Alex picked up the rest of the stuff and put it back on Angel's shelf.

"Dad went to Wolfram and Hart," Connor said as he watched her clean up. "Because of you. So you better get ready to fight again once they send LA back to hell." Connor stormed out of the room.

"Jerk!" Alex grumbled. She pulled the papers out of her pocket and grabbed the rest of the stuff she needed and went back to her own room. She packed up her clothes and her weapons. She shoved the papers into her little journal along with all the others and snuck out of the hotel through the tunnels.

As she raced through the tunnels her mind raced as well. Could this really be it? Was she really going to find her? After everything she'd been through all she'd ever wanted was her mother. She knew if she could find her and tell her who she was that she would finally be safe. Finally have someone who would take care of her. That's what mothers were supposed to do, right? Angel hadn't known about her and neither had her mother. Lilah had said so. Said that nobody knew and nobody would come for her. She believed her.

So Alex would go to them. As much as she loved Angel, she needed to find her mother. And she was determined to do it on her own. Just as she had done everything else on her own.

Alex reached the bus terminal and climbed out of the tunnels. She waited in the shadows until the bus she wanted arrived. Pulling out one of Angel's drawings that she had kept, she ran her fingers across the face, "I'm going to find you mom."

The drawing was of a beautiful woman with long dark hair and the most intense eyes. At the bottom of the page Angel had scribbled one word.

_Faith._

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** **So yay now you all know both Alexs Parents lol not that I think really anyone is suprised. But I love teasing people even when its obvious. But now the question is wtf?? how? lol right. Well you'll see. But of course its FAITHY!! Anyone who knows me knows it would be Faith I love her and I mean look at Alex shes totally a mix of Faithy and Angel!**

**I'm having fun writing this story and I hope people are enjoying it. Let me know what you think. If you think there is anything I should change or add. Often people pick up on stuff I wouldn't think about. Like the whole Connor/Alex dynamic I'm totally playing at that because of Ashley. So please let me know! Haha i just like to know people are reading too.**

**Ok off to go plot Chapter five hee XD**

**Katie**


	5. Chapter 5: We Travel In Packs

Chapter Five: We Travel in Packs

Cordelia and Angel entered the hotel lobby hours later; Cordelia had managed to talk Angel out of storming into Wolfram and Hart and ripping the heads off everyone in sight. They had circled the tunnels for hours as Angel went back and forth with his decision. Finally he agreed to return to the hotel. She sat down on the couch and looked at her feet.

"See this is why I hate sewers," she mumbled, pointing her foot at Angel. "My shoes are ruined."Angel looked at her blankly. "I'm just saying." Cordelia sighed and looked to Wesley, who had just come out of his office.

"I see you succeeded," Wesley stated, looking from Cordelia to Angel.

"Have you found out any more information?" Angel said, ignoring Wesley's previous comment.

"Not yet. I sent Connor to retrieve Gunn and Gwen; he should be back soon—" Wesley stopped as the three entered the hotel. Gunn had his arm around Gwen who was laughing. Connor slinked in behind them sneering. He didn't even acknowledge the others' presence and went upstairs.

"He was like that the whole way back," Gunn remarked, watching as the boy disappeared up the steps.

"How does everything look out there?" Cordelia asked. Gunn, Gwen and Connor had been patrolling the city to make sure everything had really gone back to normal. They had to keep an eye out for any hints if the senior partners were going to strike back.

"Same as before. Everyone's gone back to their business like nothing happened," Gunn said, shrugging.

"It's easier to pretend it didn't happen than face what's really out there," Gwen said.

"I'm going to go check on Alex," Angel mumbled. Cordelia watched him as he left. She knew how helpless he felt, it wasn't a feeling he was used to. Angel was all about taking action, but they didn't know what kind of action they could take at this time. Things were complicated, and dangerous.

Angel made his way to Alex's room. He felt foolish now spending the majority of the day circling the tunnels arguing with Cordelia, when he could have been doing something productive to help Alex. All this time wasted trying to get revenge when he could be spending time with her. Pushing open the door Angel looked around Alex's empty room confused. His confusion turned to panic when he saw all her stuff was gone.

"Alex!" He yelled out of panic. Where could she have gone? Why would she have left? Was it something he had done? Something he hadn't done? Angel raced up and down the hotel searching for her, but instinctively knew she was gone. "Connor have you seen Alex?" he asked, running into the boy.

Connor shrugged, "Not for awhile."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Angel snapped.

"Hours ago. She was up to something in your room." Connor sneered at his father. "Why?"

Angel didn't answer; he was already halfway to his room. When he got there he looked around for any clues as to why she may have been in here. His gaze stopped at his bookcase, he could tell everything had been reshelved hastily. The books stuck out at different angles and the papers were crammed into the back, a couple books were still on the floor. He walked over and picked up the atlas, flipped through it and stopped. There was a page missing. He looked in the index.

"Damn it!" he said realizing where she had gone. Angel returned to the lobby, Cordelia and Gunn were sitting around talking.

"Angel, what's wrong?" Cordelia asked reading his face. She could tell instantly something was distressing him.

"Alex is gone."

"What? What do you mean she's gone?" Cordelia said getting up and walking over to him, panicked. "Why would she leave?"

Angel didn't answer. Instead he looked solemnly down in thought and walked over to counter. He knew where and why, it was only a matter of time before Cordelia figured it out.

Connor came downstairs, "What's going on?"

"Alex is gone," Gunn said.

"Where would she go?" Cordelia asked confused.

Angel dropped the atlas onto the counter. "Sunnydale."

Alex sat at the back of the bus next to the window. She'd snuck on with a family while the driver was distracted. There were a couple of kids sitting a few rows up, whining to their parents about being bored. The oldest, a boy with scraggly brown hair, was a little older than Alex.

"I'm hungry, I want something to eat Momma," he whined. "It's too hot and it smells in here. It smells so bad."

"Hush. Try going to sleep. It's a long ride and I won't listen to you whine the whole way!" his mother scolded him.

"This blows!" he yelled. She glared at him. "I hate these rides. Why do we take the stupid bus?"

One of the other kids started crying. His mother ignored him and tried to quiet the younger one who was screaming her head off.

"I hate these stupid buses. It's so boring." He grumbled and leaned over the side of his seat, nearly falling out into the aisle. He looked back at Alex and made a disgusted face, she narrowed her eyes at him and he looked spooked. He turned back around and didn't look back at her again. Instead he decided to occupy himself by kicking the back of the chair in front of him, and laughing. Alex rolled her eyes and focused her attention out the window.

The bus rattled along the dusty highway, the sun setting across the horizon. Alex missed Angel, part of her wanted to go back to him and Cordelia and Wesley. She wanted to get off the bus and run right back to them. How could she leave them after all they had done for her, leave them for someone who didn't even know who she was? Alex had no idea how Faith would react to her. She didn't know anything about Faith other than the little she had been told.

Alex pulled out her book and began flipping through the pages for all she knew about Faith. She read through it until the sun went down and it was too dark to read. The bus got quiet except for the whining from the boy ahead. Her eyes got heavy and she let herself drift off to sleep.

"Who's my mommy?" Alex said looking up and batting her little eyelashes.

Lilah laughed. "Why do you care?" she asked, walking across the room to stand in front of the far wall.

"Because I do. Who is she?" Alex got up and toddled over to Lilah who was writing on a white board on the wall.

"A crazy bitch that's locked up in jail now." Lilah scoffed, ignoring the little girl tugging on her pants

"That's why she's not here," Alex stated, as if it were a fact, irrefutable.

Lilah looked down at the child; there was something about her that brought out a softer side in the hardened woman. She knew so much for someone so little. The child fascinated her and frightened her at the same. The way she learned things so fast, language, math, science, and only two years old.

"Is she strong, like I am?" Alex grabbed the marker from Lilah's hand and began drawing on the board. "Is she pretty?"

"She's a slayer. She's why you're strong." Lilah took the marker back. "I didn't say you could take this."

Alex sighed and looked up, "I'm gonna go back to her. I'm gonna find her some day. She'll take care of me."

The bus came to a stop and the lights came on. Alex awoke startled by the loud noises from the bus station. She grabbed her stuff shoving it back into her bag and rubbed her eyes. The people on the bus were slowly getting up and collecting their belongings. Alex ducked behind the family with the rotten boy and followed them off the bus trying to blend in. Once off the bus she ditched the family.

Alex headed off down the road into town: she wasn't sure where to find Faith but figured it would be the best place to start. Sunnydale looked like an ordinary town; houses lined the streets with picket fences and lawn ornaments, symbols of suburbia. She couldn't figure out why her mother would be here of all places.

The streets were empty and quiet. The houses dark, the shades shut tight blocking out the world. Alex felt an uneasy feeling walking along the deserted streets, she felt as though someone was watching her. She reached into her bag and pulled out a stake, her eyes scanning the shadows for movement. The bushes rustled and a group of men emerged. Alex gripped the stake firmer in her hand.

"Are you lost little girl?" asked one of the men, his eyes eating her up as they looked her up and down.

"He asked you a question," another one spat, getting closer to Alex.

"Yeah and I didn't answer!" she spat back.

Laughter erupted among them as they closed in around her. What looked to be the head of the group smiled down at Alex as he got nearer. "Well then aren't you delicious?" He growled, his face morphed and he flashed his teeth as he grabbed her by the shoulders and went to sink into her neck. Alex head butted him as he got close enough and he went stumbling back.

"Get her!" he snarled. The rest of the vampires moved in. Alex was readying herself for the fight when the one in front of her exploded into dust. The others turned to see a group of girls armed with crossbows and stakes charging at them. Alex staked one of the vampires while it was distracted and the girls fought and slayed the rest rather quickly.

Alex eyed the girls cautiously; just because they had helped her didn't mean they were friendly. One of the girls walked up to her, her long hair fell into her face as she leaned down, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thanks for the help though." Alex looked around at the girls, they looked like ordinary teenagers except for the battle gear. "You're slayers, aren't you?"

"How'd you guess?" a tall gawky girl laughed. The lead one shot a look back at her before turning back to Alex.

"You're safe now, but you shouldn't be out so late at night on your own—"

"Do you know Faith?" Alex asked, ignoring the girl talking to her and addressing the others. "She's a slayer too."

"We should get you home—" The girl tried again.

"I'm fine. I could have handled them on my own though. Do you know Faith or not?" Alex snapped at her.

"She was fighting them before we got here, Kennedy. I don't think she's just an ordinary little kid." One of the girls said addressing the leader. Kennedy stood up straight and folded her arms.

"Fine," she mumbled. "Why are you asking about Faith?"

"I'm here looking for her," Alex said shortly; she thought that was sort of obvious.

"How do you know about Slayers and Vampires? You're so little." The girls giggled and fawned over Alex.

"Uhh...I just…have been fighting them a long time…"Alex backed away from the girls. She didn't like them touching her.

"Enough!" Kennedy yelled. The girls stopped and left Alex alone. "We know Faith and we can take you to her. But you got to tell us who you are first."

Alex sighed in frustration, she didn't like any of these girls— they were annoying but her only lead to Faith. "My name's Alex, and I'm….a slayer." It wasn't exactly a lie, she thought.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hey everyone finally finished Chapter Five. It's a bit longer because I didnt have a cliffhanger lol so I had a hard time figuring out where to end it. I really like writing this story and as always let me know what you think. If you have an suggestions or comments. **

**Katie**


	6. Chapter 6: High Expectations

Chapter Six: High Expectations 

The silence swallowed up the world around her, the darkness obscuring everything except for that one small house. The rest of the block blurred, they were not important just that house and what was inside it. The world suddenly felt so huge, and she so tiny. Her heart was pounding against her chest as they approached the front doors. This was it Alex thought. She was finally going to meet her.

Kennedy opened the door and all the slayers filed in behind her, then Alex entered slowly after everyone else. She'd fought countless demons, slayed hundreds of vampires, braved the world alone day after day, and yet she had never been more afraid than she was walking through those doors.

A redheaded woman descended the stairs chatting with another girl. The other girl looked serious; she radiated a sense of control and power. Everyone else in the room tensed slightly as she came down the stairs.

The redhead smiled and turned to Kennedy, her smile faltering slightly. "Hey, how'd patrolling go?" She caught sight of Alex and did a double take.

"Who is this?" the other girl asked.

"We found her when we were patrolling. She says she's a slayer," Kennedy said. "She was looking for Faith."

"Is Faith here?" Alex asked quietly.

The red headed girl gave her a sweet smile and walked over to her. "Hi, I'm Willow." She leaned down and extended her hand.

"Alex. My name's Alex," she said, shaking Willow's hand.

"Faith's not here right now, but she'll be back soon. Why are you looking for Faith?" Willow asked straightening back up to a standing position.

Alex's heart dropped. She wasn't there. But part of her was relieved as well. She shrugged her shoulders and folded her arms over her chest. She didn't know what she was going to say to Faith yet, so she really had no idea what to tell any of them. She wished that Angel was here. She wanted to hug him and have him protect her. She'd never had a home until she went to the Hyperion. Angel and Cordy had been her home, her family for the past few weeks and she'd never been happier. She regretted more than anything leaving them.

The girl who Willow had been talking to spoke up, "Do you think she really is a slayer?" The slayers turned their attention to her. Alex assumed she must be their leader the way they all respected her.

"She's just a little kid though, Buffy," Willow said.

"Anything's possible Will," Buffy said finally stepping off the stairs and walking over to Alex. She stared at her as though studying her to determine if this child before her could truly be a slayer.

"She was fighting off a group of vampires on her own before we got there," one of the slayers piped up. "She staked one."

"I would have been fine too," Alex mumbled, looking over at Kennedy who rolled her eyes.

"You were surrounded by vampires, you didn't stand a chance. You got lucky with one because we showed up," Kennedy snapped. "She's not a slayer. She's a child."

"Enough, Kennedy," Buffy commanded. Kennedy quieted but looked annoyed at Buffy's use of authority. "Willow, call Giles. He should be with Andrew at the Slayer Academy." Willow nodded and disappeared into another room. The slayers stood around waiting for instructions from Buffy. "Kennedy, take the rest of them back to the academy, if you're done patrolling."

"Well, our patrol was interrupted," she started but at Buffy's annoyed look dropped it. "I'll take them back." Kennedy and the rest of the slayers left, leaving Buffy and Alex standing alone in the hall.

Alex eyed Buffy, doing her own study. She was tall and strong looking, but young. Like Cordelia, she emanated this sense of power and strength. But at first glance, Alex could see anyone mistaking her for a normal woman. She wasn't dressed like a warrior; she was dressed like a model. Tight jeans and a lacy top were not Alex's idea of battle attire. Her soft blonde hair fell in curls down her back softening her face, but her green eyes were piercing as they stared back into her own. Alex knew Buffy was a warrior; despite her appearance. Looks can be deceiving as Alex damn well knew.

"You're a slayer," Alex said, finally breaking the silence.

"I'm the slayer," Buffy said emphasizing 'the' as though making sure Alex was not mistaken who was in charge.

"I didn't know there were so many."

"There didn't use to be, but now there are," Buffy said shortly. Alex sighed; it didn't seem to her that Buffy wanted to talk with her.

"You don't trust me?" Alex said looking up at Buffy with a fire in her eyes.

Buffy studied her as though trying to decipher her expression before answering. "I've learned not to trust based on appearance. Just because you look like a child doesn't mean you are one. I've met children before that turned out to be huge ugly demons."

"I'm not a demon," Alex spat. "Why does everyone think I'm a demon?"

"Because you're a little kid with super strength, at least from what I'm told," Buffy said raising her eyebrows. "It tends to raise suspicion."

Willow re-entered. "Giles is on his way back now. He was all flustered by the news; I could hear him arguing with Andrew." Willow smirked.

"Good, it shouldn't take him too long to get back here—" Buffy was interrupted by the front door opening. Alex stepped out of the way; she'd been standing in front of the door the whole time. She backed up into the couch, her bag slipped off her shoulders but she was distracted by the two people entering. A tall man with white blonde hair slicked back and a young woman she recognized as Faith.

"Dude, the vamp went down so hard after that kick, it was a mercy stake," she laughed. "I swear they're getting easier and easier to kill…" Faith trailed off as the door swung shut behind her. She hadn't expected people to be standing around in the hall. "Waiting up for us? You didn't have to." She smirked, giving willow a seductive glance, but her flirting was distracted by the presence of a child in the room.

"What's that?" Spike blinked, looking at the child with confusion.

"Faith, do you know her?" Buffy asked quickly.

Faith raised an eyebrow at her. "Why? Should I?" She looked over at the girl and a chill ran down her spine. She didn't know who the child was or what for that matter, but something about her gave her this feeling that scared Faith. Something that wasn't easy to do.

Alex hardened her face at Faith's reaction. "I never said she knew me!" She spat at Buffy.

Buffy sighed and looked at the child annoyed. "Well, you didn't say much."

"What are you?" Spike said, repeating himself.

"I'm not an it by the way!" she growled at him.

"You're not exactly a girl either," Spike remarked, looking over to Buffy.

"I am so!" Alex narrowed her eyes at Spike. Everyone saying she wasn't human was beginning to piss her off. She was. She knew she was. Wasn't she?

"Well whoever or whatever you are, what are you doing here?" Faith interjected, looking from her to Buffy.

"Kennedy and her group found her on patrol. She was looking for you, Faith. She claims she's a slayer," Buffy said, looking at Faith waiting for her to give some sort of explanation.

"Well, I don't know why she'd be looking for me. I'm not exactly the type to hang around kids." She threw an arm out pointing at Alex to emphasize her point. "I didn't even like them when I was one." This wasn't exactly true: The kids in her neighborhood just hadn't liked her.

Alex looked down at the floor, she could feel the tears coming but blinked them back. She had waited so long for this moment. There she was standing before her and instead of wanting to hug her like she had Angel, she wanted to kick her. She was mean and rude, and nothing like Alex had imagined.

Seven years of waiting, she'd put Faith on a pedestal in her mind, and in one instant everything had come crumbling down. High expectations always leave you with greater disappointments, and Alex couldn't have been more disappointed if she had found out her mother was dead.

"Giles is on his way. Maybe he'll be able to tell us if she's a slayer or not," Buffy said hopefully.

"Or," Spike walked over to Alex and made to hit her.

"Spike!" Buffy cried out as she watched him lunge at the child.

Alex looked up just in time and grabbed his fist. She threw him back and he went crashing to the floor and slid across the room. Everyone looked at Alex in shock. Spike groaned and got back to his feet. "She's definitely got Slayer strength."

Buffy rushed over to Spike checking to see if he was alright. When she realized he was fine she slapped him against the chest. "Ow!" He cried out, looking at her confused. "What the bloody hell was that for?

"Don't do that again," she said sternly. Spike grinned but nodded.

Willow walked over to the curly haired child and put a hand on her shoulder, Alex was going to shrug it off but Willow so far had been the only one nice to her so she didn't. "Come in and sit down." Willow led her in to the dining room and Alex sat down at the table. "Do you want something to drink?" Willow asked.

"Can I have some water?"

Willow smiled and nodded. Alex watched Spike, Buffy and Faith argue in the hall. Their voices hushed, obviously trying to keep her from hearing. But Alex had extremely good hearing and could hear every word they said.

"What does she want with me?" Faith spat.

"I don't know. But you're all she's asked about the entire time. Maybe she's a long lost relative or something," Buffy suggested. Faith looked at her like she was stupid. "Don't look at me like that. It could happen."

"I have no family," Faith whispered. "Even if she were, it's been forever and a day since I was back in Boston. One, it was before she wasn't even born. Two, why would she say she's a slayer. Three, how the hell would she know I was here?"

"I don't know!" Buffy hissed. "But you got to admit she kind of looks like you." Faith shot daggers at Buffy.

"I got an idea," Spike interjected. The two girls looked at him. "Maybe she just heard that Faith was a slayer, and came looking for you since she is one."

"They generally hear of me," Buffy said, her tone implied she was annoyed that he would suggest they would hear of Faith and not her.

"I like that idea," Faith nodded.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

"Jealous B?" Faith smirked.

Willow came back into the dining room and put a glass of water in front of Alex. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Alex said. Willow sat down next to her.

"So, you're a slayer? How do you know?" Willow asked. Her tone was sincere, it wasn't mocking like Kennedy or Buffy's.

"I slay vampires. I'm strong. And fast. That's what a slayer is right?" Alex sighed.

The front door opened and in came a handsome older man with slightly graying hair. He looked frazzled as though he had rushed here. "Buffy, where is the girl?" he asked. He had a British accent like Wesley. Buffy pointed to Alex and Willow.

"Giles, you ok?" Willow giggled.

"Yes, fine. Hello, what's your name?" Giles asked setting his bag down on the counter. He lifted his glasses as though to get a better look, which confused Alex because she thought he would have left them on: Wasn't that the point of glasses?

"Alexandra," she said slowly.

"And you say you're a slayer?" He took Willow's seat once she had gotten up to get out of his way.

"She threw spike across the room," Willow said in an amused voice.

"Hey, it's not funny," Spike said.

"It kind of is," Faith smirked, winking at Willow.

"I am," Alex said staring at Faith.

"That's remarkable. There's no record of there ever having been a Slayer as young as you. Fourteen perhaps, at the youngest, but… How old are you?"

"Seven and a half," Alex proudly informed him.

"When's your birthday?" Willow asked, smiling.

Buffy looked at her. "Random much, Will?"

"What? Birthdays are a big deal when you're a kid." Willow remarked. "Remember how much fun they were?"

"Yeah back when it was clowns that crashed the parties and not demons," Buffy smirked.

Willow laughed. "Don't tell Xander that, I think he'd prefer the demons."

"November," she answered; these people were so odd. She wasn't used to being around anyone like them. One minute they were interrogating her, the next they were joking, it was confusing.

"Right well, we should run some tests—"

"No!" Alex jumped up and backed away. "You're not running any tests on me!" she shrieked.

"No, Alex. He just meant to test your abilities. See how strong you are, how fast you are, see if you really are a slayer," Willow said gently. The room got silent as they all looked at the quivering little girl. Faith caught her eye again and that same feeling swept over her.

"We ain't gonna hurt you," Faith said, trying her best at reassuring the kid. Faith looked at Alex; there was real fear in her eyes. Faith didn't think she was a demon anymore. Just a kid. Maybe a slayer—that they'd figure out eventually—but she was just a little kid, and right now, a terrified one.

The phone rang shattering the silence. "I'll get that." Buffy left the room; Willow followed her she wanting to talk to Buffy alone.

Buffy picked the phone up off the kitchen counter, "Hello?"

"Buffy!" She almost dropped the phone at the sound of his voice. She hadn't heard it in nearly four years.

"Angel," she gasped.

Willow looked at her confused. "Why is Angel calling?"

"Are you alright?" she asked, she hadn't heard anything from them since LA disappeared. She had attempted at the beginning to help him but with her own apocalypses to deal with and having moved on with Spike she'd figured he would take care of it. Truthfully, she'd forgotten about him. Out of sight, out of mind. But hearing his voice now, made her feel awful forgetting him.

"I'm fine," he said, brushing off her comment. "Have you seen a little girl named Alex?"

"Alex? She's here. Why Angel?" Buffy was confused, how did Angel know Alex?

"Is she alright?" he asked, sharply.

"Yes she's fine. How do you know her? What's going on?" Buffy snapped; she was annoyed that Angel knew about this girl and hadn't told her.

"Keep her there. We're on our way to Sunnydale. We shouldn't be long—" There was a loud crash from the other room. "What was that?" Buffy hung up and ran with Willow and into the dining room. There was glass everywhere and Spike was on the floor on top of Giles. Faith was looking around stunned. The front door was wide open, and Alex was gone.

"What happened in here?" Buffy asked. Willow helped Giles back to his feet.

"The little one freaked out and bolted," Spike grumbled, brushing himself off.

"She's gone." Faith said still in shock.

* * *

**Authors Note:**** aww ok I had so much fun writing this chapter that's why its so much longer because I didn't want to end it. I kept thinking of these cute little conversations. I hope everyone likes how I wrote the characters. Lol Faith/Buffys scene was the funniest to write. And I love all these characters except Kennedy lmao so don't think that I dont just cause I make them not so nice to Alex. Like Faith is like 3 so writing her mean to Alex is just because thats how I see her reacting.**

**Cant wait to see what you guys think :D**

**Katie**


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